The children have been practicing since June 7 and stage their first performances on June 24. It is the first year conservatory co-founder Anthony Hubert has divided the children into smaller groups, so that each group has its own production. It’s also the first time they’ve used the Newman Center’s Byron Flexible Theater.

“It has worked out so well,” says Hubert, an assistant professor of theater at DU. “It has been the most successful camp we’ve had.”

Children ages 6–8 are putting on the Pied Piper for the first session. The 9–12 year-olds are doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the older group, ages 13–17, will produce West Side Story.

Ryan Maltz, 15, has come to camp for the second year and will play Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks in West Side Story. He says he’s enjoyed camp this year even more than last.

“Because we’re separated from the younger kids, we get to work with each other more and focus a lot more on our characters,” he says.

The first three productions will run from June 24–26.

“I’ve seen all [the first productions],” Hubert says. “They’re ready and the younger kids have the cute factor. We’ve got some ringers on stage.”

A new group of children will start the second session, which runs June 28–July 17. The second group will perform The Jungle Book, Guys and Dolls and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

That’s why DU professor Anthony Hubert started a day-camp theater program that takes place for two months each summer on campus.

Hubert and his wife, Jamie Roehrig-Hubert, founded the Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre (RMCT) three years ago, the same year Hubert became an assistant professor of acting and directing at DU. Hubert also is the head of recruiting for the theater department. 

“I grew up in the projects of Atlanta, so my mother always had me going to something, but I was most excited when we had a specialty class that had to do with performing arts,” says Hubert. “I thought, when I grow up, I want to be one of those people who helps the community.”

RMCT offers two sessions each summer, and performs a different show each session. This summer’s first session recently performed Peter Pan, while the current session will be performing Annie Jr.

Since the theater started three years ago, the number of students has steadily increased. The first year, RMCT had 34 campers, the second year 108 and this year there are 205. Hubert says he expects the number to continue to grow and will split next year’s camp into three different age groups. 

The camp has many ties to DU. Seven of the nine camp counselors are DU students and around 40 percent of the young thespians at the camp have parents that work at DU or are DU alumni. Many campers also have a sibling attending DU or the Ricks Center.

Hubert employs the DU students for the summer because he wants them to see how to run all aspects of a theater effectively.

“I want them all to have a bag of tools they can go out into the world with,” Hubert says.

Hubert also strives to educate the younger generations about the performing arts industry. Campers do everything it takes to put on a show. Each day is divided into several classes with rotating activities, such as acting, music, dance, art and rehearsal.

Nickelodeon’s Parent Picks’ Awards has nominated the Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre in the categories of best day camp and best theatre group for kids. The results will be released Aug. 17 and available at http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com.

RMCT also offers Saturday classes and a holiday show during the school year. This year’s holiday show will be Miracle on 34th Street.

Annie Jr. will take place in Margery Reed Hall in the Little Theatre at the University of Denver campus.

June 25, 2008 - While Dorothy and Toto are learning the ways of Oz, four DU students and two recent graduates are learning how to put on an all-youth production of The Wizard of Oz.

It’s the idea of the play’s director, Anthony Hubert, an assistant professor in DU’s theatre department and co-founder of  the Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre.

“They are learning how to run a theater and how it runs in the real world,” Hubert says.

Alex Ngo, a junior theater and biology major, is Hubert’s assistant director for the show.

“It’s amazing,” Ngo says. “I was panicked when I heard we were going to [produce] a musical in three weeks, but we’ve come so far and made great progress.”

The production is part of the conservatory’s three-week summer camp for children ages 5–17. At camp’s end, there are four live performances. The campers will perform The Wizard of Oz June 26–27 and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland July 17–18.

Hubert is preparing Ngo to direct the second summer camp and production. He gave Kate Smith, a senior music and theater major, the position of musical director and choreographer.

“I love working with the kids,” Smith says. “I feel like I learn more from them than they learn from me.”

Smith wants to be a director one day and believes her experience with the conservatory is invaluable.

“I feel like if I can direct 58 kids, I will be able to handle adults in the future,” she says.

The Wizard of Oz opens June 26 at 11:30 a.m. in the Little Theatre in DU’s Margery Reed Hall.

Performances are open to the public.

photo by Wayne Armstrong 

He wanted to start an organization that specialized in teaching theater to children and young adults. Six months later, his wife formed the Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre.

The couple moved to Denver in August 2006 for Hubert’s position as assistant professor of acting and directing in DU's theater department.

Hubert works with the students; Roehrig-Hubert does everything else from enrollment to Web site design.

The dream started years ago when growing up in the projects of Atlanta, Hubert’s mother signed him up for any free program she could find. While Hubert enjoyed the acting lessons, he always came back to teach his friends whatever he learned, from acting to tennis.

“Teaching is a part of me,” he says. “It’s something I’ll always do.”

And while teaching is his passion, Hubert’s had plenty of professional experience in television, film and the stage. He’s directed 20 plays and starred in 16 others. He’s also played Donald in the movie Sweat and was a guest star on the shows Sins of the City and Sheena. 

“This is a viable lifestyle,” he says. “Art is as valuable as business. It is a business. It’s called show business, not art!”

Roehrig-Hubert has no interest in show business but is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at DU.

She wanted to use her administrative and marketing skills for the Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre because of her 7-year-old daughter.

“It is a chance for me to use my business skills to create the type of environment that I would desire and expect out of an enrichment program for her,” she says. “It is really an opportunity for Anthony and I to provide what we hope is an ideal situation for kids to thrive in.”

The conservatory’s mission is to teach youth the skills they need to cultivate healthy relationships, build self-esteem and generate positive attitudes through working in theater.

Since the conservatory’s start, they’ve hosted a summer camp, acting classes and this December, an all-youth production of A Christmas Carol.

Lorenzo Lucero, 11, plays Bob Cratchit, the abused clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge, in A Christmas Carol. Lucero was blown away by Hubert’s performance in a recent DU production of Othello and wanted to learn from him.

“He was such a good actor, and I wanted to learn from a real actor,” Lucero says. “He really helps us.”

While the conservatory is open to any applicant ages 6 to 18, Roehrig-Hubert would like to pursue grants or donations to sponsor children who couldn’t afford to come. Hubert would like to give children the same opportunity he was afforded.

“Art is a foundation for success in the read world,” he says. “I don’t know anyone who runs a company who isn’t a creative thinker.”

An All-Youth Cast to Perform "A Christmas Carol"
(originally published in DU Today)
By Kristal Griffith
photo by Wayne Armstrong

December 07, 2007 - An unconventional cast will take the stage at the University of Denver's Little Theater in an upcoming production of A Christmas Carol. Every actor will be under 18 years of age.

The 24 cast members, who range in age from 6 to 18, auditioned and were selected by Director Anthony Hubert, assistant professor in DU’s theater department.

“"A Christmas Carol" is a moral play,” Hubert says. “It’s a message all our kids need to be conscious of.”

Hubert’s passion is teaching children life-skills through theater performance, which is why he and his wife, Jamie Roehrig-Hubert, founded the Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre (RMCT).

A Christmas Carol will just be the first all-youth performance staged by the RMCT.

Emilie Bickel, 13, plays Ebenezer Scrooge in the production. She’s learning how to articulate ideas, how to take direction and how to mentor younger children. She plans to use what she’s learned in a future career.

“I want to be a veterinarian,” she says. “But, I enjoy acting a lot.”

The show opens Dec. 14.

For a full list of performance dates and times, please visit the RMCT website.